(a) The administration and enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611-621) (Act), subject to the general supervision and direction of the Attorney General, is assigned to, and conducted, handled, and supervised by, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

(b) The Assistant Attorney General for National Security is authorized to prescribe such forms, in addition to or in lieu of those specified in the regulations in this part, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this part.

(c) Copies of the Act, and of the rules, regulations, and forms prescribed pursuant to the Act, and information concerning the foregoing may be obtained upon request without charge from the National Security Division, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20530.

Any present or prospective agent of a foreign principal, or the agent's attorney, may request from the Assistant Attorney General for National Security a statement of the present enforcement intentions of the Department of Justice under the Act with respect to any presently contemplated activity, course of conduct, expenditure, receipt of money or thing of value, or transaction, and specifically with respect to whether the same requires registration and disclosure pursuant to the Act, or is excluded from coverage or exempted from registration and disclosure under any provision of the Act.

The entire transaction which is the subject of the review request must be an actual, as opposed to hypothetical, transaction and involve disclosed, as opposed to anonymous, agents and principals. Review requests must be submitted by a party to the transaction or the party's attorney, and have no application to a party that does not join in the request. A review request may not involve only past conduct.

A review request shall be specific and contain in detail all relevant and material information bearing on the actual activity, course of conduct, expenditure, receipt of money or thing of value, or transaction for which review is requested. There is no prescribed format for the request, but each request must include:

(1) The identity(ies) of the agent(s) and foreign principal(s) involved;

(2) The nature of the agent's activities for or in the interest of the foreign principal;

(3) A copy of the existing or proposed written contract with the foreign principal or a full description of the terms and conditions of each existing or proposed oral agreement; and

(4) The applicable statutory or regulatory basis for the exemption or exclusion claimed.

If the requesting party is an individual, the review request must be signed by the prospective or current agent, or, if the requesting party is not an individual, the review request must be signed on behalf of each requesting party by an officer, a director, a person performing the functions of an officer or a director of, or an attorney for, the requesting party. Each such person signing the review request must certify that the review request contains a true, correct and complete disclosure with respect to the proposed conduct.

Each party shall provide any additional information or documents the National Security Division may thereafter request in order to review a matter. Any information furnished orally shall be confirmed promptly in writing, signed by the same person who signed the initial review request and certified to be a true, correct and complete disclosure of the requested information.

After submission of a review request, the National Security Division, in its discretion, may state its present enforcement intention under the Act with respect to the proposed conduct; may decline to state its present enforcement intention; or, if circumstances warrant, may take such other position or initiate such other action as it considers appropriate. Any requesting party or parties may withdraw a review request at any time. The National Security Division remains free, however, to submit such comments to the requesting party or parties as it deems appropriate. Failure to take action after receipt of a review request, documents or information, whether submitted pursuant to this procedure or otherwise, shall not in any way limit or stop the National Security Division from taking any action at such time thereafter as it deems appropriate. The National Security Division reserves the right to retain any review request, document or information submitted to it under this procedure or otherwise and to use any such request, document or information for any governmental purpose.

Each review letter can be relied upon by the requesting party or parties to the extent the disclosure was accurate and complete and to the extent the disclosure continues accurately and completely to reflect circumstances after the date of issuance of the review letter.

All statements, exhibits, amendments, and other documents and papers required to be filed under the Act or under this part shall be submitted in triplicate to the Registration Unit. An original document and two duplicates meeting the requirements of Rule 1001(4), Federal Rules of Evidence (28 U.S.C. Appendix), shall be deemed to meet this requirement. Filing of such documents may be made in person or by mail, and they shall be deemed to be filed upon their receipt by the Registration Unit.

(a) A registrant shall pay a registration fee with each initial registration statement filed under § 5.200 and each supplemental registration statement under § 5.203 at the time such registration statement is filed. The registration fee may be paid by cash or by check or money order made payable to “FARA Registration Unit”. The Registration Unit, in its discretion, may require that the fee be paid by a certified or cashier's check or by a United States Postal money order.

(b) Payment of fees shall accompany any order for copies or request for information, and all applicable fees shall be collected before copies or information will be made available. Payment may be made by cash or by check or money order made payable to “FARA Registration Unit”. The Registration Unit, in its discretion, may require that the fee be paid by a certified or cashier's check or by a United States Postal money order.

(c) Registration fees shall be waived in whole or in part, as appropriate, in the case of any individual person required to register under the Act who has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Registration Unit that he or she is financially unable to pay the fees in their entirety. An individual seeking to avail himself or herself of this provision shall file with the registration statement a declaration made in compliance with section 1746 of title 28, United States Code, setting forth the information required by Form 4, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure (28 U.S.C. appendix).

(d) The fees shall be as follows:

(1) For initial registration statements (including an exhibit A for one foreign principal) under § 5.200: $305.00;

(10) For copies of registration statements and supplements, amendments, exhibits thereto, dissemination reports, informational materials, and copies of political propaganda and other materials contained in the public files, under § 5.601: fifty cents ($.50) per copy of each page of the material requested;

(11) For copies of registration statements and supplements, amendments, exhibits thereto, dissemination reports, informational materials, and copies of political propaganda and other materials contained in the public files, produced by computer, such as tapes or printouts, under § 5.601: actual direct cost of producing the copy, including the apportionable salary costs; and

(12) For computer searches of records through the use of existing programming: Direct actual costs, including the cost of operating a central processing unit for that portion of operating time that is directly attributable to searching for records responsive to a request and the salary costs apportionable to the search.

(e) The cost of delivery of any document by the Registration Unit by any means other than ordinary mail shall be charged to the requester at a rate sufficient to cover the expense to the Registration Unit.

(f) The Assistant Attorney General is hereby authorized to adjust the fees established by this section from time to time to reflect and recover the costs of the administration of the Registration Unit under the Act.

(g) Fees collected under this provision shall be available for the support of the Registration Unit.

(h) Notwithstanding § 5.3, no document required to be filed under the Act shall be deemed to have been filed unless it is accompanied by the applicable fee except as provided by paragraph (c) of this section.

(2) The term Attorney General means the Attorney General of the United States.

(3) The term Assistant Attorney General means the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20530.

(4) The term Secretary of State means the Secretary of State of the United States.

(5) The term rules and regulations includes the regulations in this part and all other rules and regulations prescribed by the Attorney General pursuant to the Act and all registration forms and instructions thereon that may be prescribed by the regulations in this part or by the Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

(6) The term registrant means any person who has filed a registration statement with the Registration Unit, pursuant to section 2(a) of the Act and § 5.3.

(7) Unless otherwise specified, the term agent of a foreign principal means an agent of a foreign principal required to register under the Act.

(8) The term foreign principal includes a person any of whose activities are directed or indirectly supervised, directed, controlled, financed, or subsidized in whole or in major part by a foreign principal as that term is defined in section 1(b) of the Act.

(9) The term initial statement means the statement required to be filed with the Attorney General under section 2(a) of the Act.

(10) The term supplemental statement means the supplement required to be filed with the Attorney General under section 2(b) of the Act at intervals of 6 months following the filing of the initial statement.

(11) The term final statement means the statement required to be filed with the Attorney General following the termination of the registrant's obligation to register.

(12) The term short form registration statement means the registration statement required to be filed by certain partners, officers, directors, associates, employees, and agents of a registrant.

(b) As used in the Act, the term control or any of its variants shall be deemed to include the possession or the exercise of the power, directly or indirectly, to determine the policies or the activities of a person, whether through the ownership of voting rights, by contract, or otherwise.

(c) The term agency as used in sections 1(c), 1(o), 3(g), and 4(e) of the Act shall be deemed to refer to every unit in the executive and legislative branches of the Government of the United States, including committees of both Houses of Congress.

(d) The term official as used in sections 1(c), 1(o), 3(g), and 4(e) of the Act shall be deemed to include Members and officers of both Houses of Congress as well as officials in the executive branch of the Government of the United States.

(e) The terms formulating, adopting, or changing, as used in section 1(o) of the Act, shall be deemed to include any activity which seeks to maintain any existing domestic or foreign policy of the United States. They do not include making a routine inquiry of a Government official or employee concerning a current policy or seeking administrative action in a matter where such policy is not in question.

(f) The term domestic or foreign policies of the United States, as used in sections 1 (o) and (p) of the Act, shall be deemed to relate to existing and proposed legislation, or legislative action generally; treaties; executive agreements, proclamations, and orders; decisions relating to or affecting departmental or agency policy, and the like.

(a) Registration under the Act is accomplished by the filing of an initial statement together with all the exhibits required by § 5.201 and the filing of a supplemental statement at intervals of 6 months for the duration of the principal-agent relationship requiring registration.

(b) The initial statement shall be filed on a form provided by the Registration Unit.

(a) The following described exhibits are required to be filed for each foreign principal of the registrant:

(1) Exhibit A.
This exhibit, which shall be filed on a form provided by the Registration Unit, shall set forth the information required to be disclosed concerning each foreign principal.

(2) Exhibit B.
This exhibit, which shall be filed on a form provided by the Registration Unit, shall set forth the agreement or understanding between the registrant and each of his foreign principals as well as the nature and method of performance of such agreement or understanding and the existing or proposed activities engaged in or to be engaged in, including political activities, by the registrant for the foreign principal.

(b) Any change in the information furnished in exhibit A or B shall be reported to the Registration Unit within 10 days of such change. The filing of a new exhibit may then be required by the Assistant Attorney General.

(c) Whenever the registrant is an association, corporation, organization, or any other combination of individuals, the following documents shall be filed as exhibit C:

(1) A copy of the registrant's charter, articles of incorporation or association, or constitution, and a copy of its bylaws, and amendments thereto;

(2) A copy of every other instrument or document, and a statement of the terms and conditions of every oral agreement, relating to the organization, powers and purposes of the registrant.

(d) The requirement to file any of the documents described in paragraphs (c)(1) and (2) of this section may be wholly or partially waived upon written application by the registrant to the Assistant Attorney General setting forth fully the reasons why such waiver should be granted.

(e) Whenever a registrant, within the United States, receives or collects contributions, loans, money, or other things of value, as part of a fund-raising campaign, for or in the interests of his foreign principal, he shall file as exhibit D a statement so captioned setting forth the amount of money or the value of the thing received or collected, the names and addresses of the persons from whom such money or thing of value was received or collected, and the amount of money or a description of the thing of value transmitted to the foreign principal as well as the manner and time of such transmission.

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, each partner, officer, director, associate, employee, and agent of a registrant is required to file a registration statement under the Act. Unless the Assistant Attorney General specifically directs otherwise, this obligation may be satisfied by the filing of a short form registration statement.

(b) A partner, officer, director, associate, employee, or agent of a registrant who does not engage directly in registrable activity in furtherance of the interests of the foreign principal is not required to file a short form registration statement.

(c) An employee or agent of a registrant whose services in furtherance of the interests of the foreign principal are rendered in a clerical, secretarial, or in a related or similar capacity, is not required to file a short form registration statement.

(d) Whenever the agent of a registrant is a partnership, association, corporation, or other combination of individuals, and such agent is not within the exemption of paragraph (b) of this section, only those partners, officers, directors, associates, and employees who engage directly in activity in furtherance of the interests of the registrant's foreign principal are required to file a short form registration statement.

(e) The short form registration statement shall be filed on Form OBD-66. Any change affecting the information furnished with respect to the nature of the services rendered by the person filing the statement, or the compensation he receives, shall require the filing of a new short form registration statement within 10 days after the occurrence of such change. There is no requirement to file exhibits or supplemental statements to a short form registration statement.

(a) Supplemental statements shall be filed on a form provided by the Registration Unit.

(b) The obligation to file a supplemental statement at 6-month intervals during the agency relationship shall continue even though the registrant has not engaged during the period in any activity in the interests of his foreign principal.

(c) The time within which to file a supplemental statement may be extended for sufficient cause shown in a written application to the Assistant Attorney General.

(a) An initial, supplemental, or final statement which is deemed deficient by the Assistant Attorney General must be amended upon his request. Such amendment shall be filed upon a form provided by the Registration Unit and shall identify the item of the statement to be amended.

(b) A change in the information furnished in an initial or supplemental statement under clauses (3), (4), (6), and (9) of section 2(a) of the Act shall be by amendment, unless the notice which is required to be given of such change under section 2(b) is deemed sufficient by the Assistant Attorney General.

(a) A registrant shall, within 30 days after the termination of his obligation to register, file a final statement on the supplemental statement form with the Registration Unit for the final period of the agency relationship not covered by any previous statement.

(b) Registration under the Act shall be terminated upon the filing of a final statement, if the registrant has fully discharged all his obligations under the Act.

(c) A registrant whose activities on behalf of each of his foreign principals become confined to those for which an exemption under section 3 of the Act is available may file a final statement notwithstanding the continuance of the agency relationship with the foreign principals.

(d) Registration under the Act may be terminated upon a finding that the registrant is unable to file the appropriate forms to terminate the registration as a result of the death, disability, or dissolution of the registrant or where the requirements of the Act cannot be fulfilled by a continuation of the registration.

(a) Except as provided in the next sentence, each statement, amendment, exhibit, or notice required to be filed under the Act shall be submitted in the English language. An exhibit may be filed even though it is in a foreign language if it is accompanied by an English translation certified under oath by the translator before a notary public, or other person authorized by law to administer oaths for general purposes, as a true and accurate translation.

(b) A statement, amendment, exhibit, or notice required to be filed under the Act should be typewritten, but will be accepted for filing if it is written legibly in ink, or if it is filed in an electronic format acceptable to the Registration Unit.

(c) Copies of any document made by any of the duplicating processes may be filed pursuant to the Act if they are clear and legible.

(d) A response shall be made to every item on each pertinent form, unless a registrant is specifically instructed otherwise in the form. Whenever the item is inapplicable or the appropriate response to an item is “none,” an express statement to that effect shall be made.

(a) Each initial, supplemental, and final statement shall be complete in and of itself. Incorporation of information by reference to statements previously filed is not permissible.

(b) Whenever insufficient space is provided for response to any item in a form, reference shall be made in such space to a full insert page or pages on which the item number and inquiry shall be restated and a complete answer given. Inserts and riders of less than full page size should not be used.

A registrant who represents more than one foreign principal is required to list in the statements he files under the Act only those foreign principals for whom he is not entitled to claim exemption under section 3 of the Act.

A registrant shall list in the statements he files under the Act only those employees whose duties require them to engage directly in activities in furtherance of the interests of the foreign principal.

A statement is “detailed” within the meaning of clauses 6 and 8 of section 2 (a) of the Act when it has that degree of specificity necessary to permit meaningful public evaluation of each of the significant steps taken by a registrant to achieve the purposes of the agency relation.

The 60-day period referred to in clauses 5, 7, and 8 of section 2(a) of the Act shall be measured from the time that a registrant has incurred an obligation to register and not from the time that he files his initial statement.

(a) A consular officer of a foreign government shall be considered duly accredited under section 3(a) of the Act whenever he has received formal recognition as such, whether provisionally or by exequatur, from the Secretary of State.

(b) The exemption provided by section 3(a) of the Act to a duly accredited diplomatic or consular officer is personal and does not include within its scope an office, bureau, or other entity.

The exemptions provided by sections 3(b) and (c) of the Act shall not be available to any person described therein unless he has filed with the Secretary of State a fully executed Notification of Status with a Foreign Government (Form D.S. 394).

Persons designated by foreign governments as their representatives in or to an international organization, other than nationals of the United States, are exempt from registration under the Act in accordance with the provisions of the International Organizations Immunities Act, if they have been duly notified to and accepted by the Secretary of State as such representatives, officers, or employees, and if they engage exclusively in activities which are recognized as being within the scope of their official functions.

(a) As used in section 3(d), the term trade or commerce shall include the exchange, transfer, purchase, or sale of commodities, services, or property of any kind.

(b) For the purpose of section 3(d) of the Act, activities of an agent of a foreign principal as defined in section 1(c) of the Act, in furtherance of the bona fide trade or commerce of such foreign principal, shall be considered “private,” even though the foreign principal is owned or controlled by a foreign government, so long as the activities do not directly promote the public or political interests of the foreign government.

(c) For the purpose of section 3(d)(2) of the Act, a person engaged in political activities on behalf of a foreign corporation, even if owned in whole or in part by a foreign government, will not be serving predominantly a foreign interest where the political activities are directly in furtherance of the bona fide commercial, industrial, or financial operations of the foreign corporation, so long as the political activities are not directed by a foreign government or foreign political party and the political activities do not directly promote the public or political interests of a foreign government or of a foreign political party.

(d) The exemption provided by section 3(e) of the Act shall not be available to any person described therein if he engages in political activities as defined in section 1(o) of the Act for or in the interests of his foreign principal.

The exemption provided by section 3(f) of the Act shall not be available unless the President has, by publication in the Federal Register, designated for the purpose of this section the country the defense of which he deems vital to the defense of the United States.

(a) Attempts to influence or persuade agency personnel or officials other than in the course of judicial proceedings, criminal or civil law enforcement inquiries, investigations, or proceedings, or agency proceedings required by statute or regulation to be conducted on the record, shall include only such attempts to influence or persuade with reference to formulating, adopting, or changing the domestic or foreign policies of the United States or with reference to the political or public interests, policies, or relations of a government of a foreign country or a foreign political party; and

(b) If an attorney engaged in legal representation of a foreign principal before an agency of the U.S. Government is not otherwise required to disclose the identity of his principal as a matter of established agency procedure, he must make such disclosure, in conformity with this section of the Act, to each of the agency's personnel or officials before whom and at the time his legal representation is undertaken. The burden of establishing that the required disclosure was made shall fall upon the person claiming the exemption.

For the purpose of section 3(h) of the Act, the burden of establishing that registration under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, 2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq. (LDA), has been made shall fall upon the person claiming the exemption. The Department of Justice will accept as prima facie evidence of registration a duly executed registration statement filed pursuant to the LDA. In no case where a foreign government or foreign political party is the principal beneficiary will the exemption under 3(h) be recognized.

(a) The informational materials required to be filed with the Attorney General under section 4(a) of the Act shall be filed with the Registration Unit no later than 48 hours after the beginning of the transmittal of the informational materials.

(b) Whenever informational materials have been filed pursuant to section 4(a) of the Act, an agent of a foreign principal shall not be required, in the event of further dissemination of the same materials, to forward additional copies thereof to the Registration Unit.

(c) Unless specifically directed to do so by the Assistant Attorney General, a registrant is not required to file a copy of a motion picture which he disseminates on behalf of his foreign principal, so long as he files monthly reports on its dissemination. In each such case this registrant shall submit to the Registration Unit either a film strip showing the label required by section 4(b) of the Act or an affidavit certifying that the required label has been made a part of the film.

(a) Within the meaning of this part, informational materials shall be deemed labeled whenever they have been marked or stamped conspicuously at their beginning with a statement setting forth such information as is required under section 4(b) of the Act.

(b) Informational materials which are required to be labeled under section 4(b) of the Act and which are in the form of prints shall be marked or stamped conspicuously at the beginning of such materials with a statement in the language or languages used therein, setting forth such information as is required under section 4(b) of the Act.

(c) Informational materials required to be labeled under section 4(b) of the Act but which are not in the form of prints shall be accompanied by a statement setting forth such information as is required under section 4(b) of the Act.

(d) Informational materials that are televised or broadcast, or which are caused to be televised or broadcast, by an agent of a foreign principal, shall be introduced by a statement which is reasonably adapted to convey to the viewers or listeners thereof such information as is required under section 4(b) of the Act.

(e) An agent of a foreign principal who transmits or causes to be transmitted in the U.S. mails or by any means or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce a still or motion picture film which contains informational materials shall insert at the beginning of such film a statement which is reasonably adapted to convey to the viewers thereof such information as is required under section 4(b) of the Act.

(f) For the purpose of section 4(e) of the Act, the statement that must preface or accompany informational materials or a request for information shall be in writing.

(a) A registrant shall keep and preserve in accordance with the provisions of section 5 of the Act the following books and records:

(1) All correspondence, memoranda, cables, telegrams, teletype messages, and other written communications to and from all foreign principals and all other persons, relating to the registrant's activities on behalf of, or in the interest of any of his foreign principals.

(2) All correspondence, memoranda, cables, telegrams, teletype messages, and other written communications to and from all persons, other than foreign principals, relating to the registrant's political activity, or relating to political activity on the part of any of the registrant's foreign principals.

(3) Original copies of all written contracts between the registrant and any of his foreign principals.

(4) Records containing the names and addresses of persons to whom informational materials have been transmitted.

(5) All bookkeeping and other financial records relating to the registrant's activities on behalf of any of his foreign principals, including canceled checks, bank statements, and records of income and disbursements, showing names and addresses of all persons who paid moneys to, or received moneys from, the registrant, the specific amounts so paid or received, and the date on which each item was paid or received.

(6) If the registrant is a corporation, partnership, association, or other combination of individuals, all minute books.

(7) Such books or records as will disclose the names and addresses of all employees and agents of the registrant, including persons no longer acting as such employees or agents.

(8) Such other books, records, and documents as are necessary properly to reflect the activities for which registration is required.

(b) The books and records listed in paragraph (a) of this section shall be kept and preserved in such manner as to render them readily accessible for inspection pursuant to section 5 of the Act.

(c) A registrant shall keep and preserve the books and records listed in paragraph (a) of this section for a period of 3 years following the termination of his registration under § 5.205.

(d) Upon good and sufficient cause shown in writing to the Assistant Attorney General, a registrant may be permitted to destroy books and records in support of the information furnished in an initial or supplemental statement which he filed 5 or more years prior to the date of his application to destroy.

Registration statements, informational materials, Dissemination Reports, and copies of political propaganda filed under section 4(a) of the Act, shall be available for public examination at the Registration Unit on official business days, during the posted hours of operation.

(a) Copies of registration statements and supplements, amendments, exhibits thereto, informational materials, dissemination reports, and copies of political propaganda and other materials contained in the public files, may be obtained from the Registration Unit upon payment of a fee as prescribed in § 5.5.

(b) Information as to the fee to be charged for copies of registration statements and supplements, amendments, exhibits thereto, informational materials, dissemination reports, and copies of political propaganda and other materials contained in the public files, or research into and information therefrom, and the time required for the preparation of such documents or information may be obtained upon request to the Registration Unit. Fee rates are established in § 5.5.

(c) The Registration Unit may, in its discretion, conduct computer searches of records through the use of existing programming upon written request. Information as to the fee for the conduct of such computer searches, and the time required to conduct such computer searches, may be obtained upon request to the Registration Unit. A written request for computer searches of records shall include a deposit in the amount specified by the Registration Unit, which shall be the Registration Unit's estimate of the actual fees. The Registration Unit is not required to alter or develop programming to conduct a search. Fee rates are established in § 5.5.

The 10-day filing requirement provided by section 8(g) of the Act shall be deemed satisfied if the amendment to the registration statement is deposited in the U.S. mails no later than the 10th day of the period.

A registrant who has within the 10-day period filed an amendment to his registration statement pursuant to a Notice of Deficiency given under section 8(g) of the Act may continue to act as an agent of a foreign principal beyond this period unless he receives a Notice of Noncompliance from the Registration Unit.

Copies of the Report of the Attorney General to the Congress on the Administration of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, shall be sold to the public by the Registration Unit, as available, at a charge not less than the actual cost of production and distribution.